Identifying Your Data and Data Collection Methods

Once you have a firm set of evaluation questions and indicators, identifying the data you will need to support your efforts becomes a much easier task, so your next step is identifying the best data collection strategy for your evaluation.

Data refers to the facts and statistics that are collected as a part of your program implementation. Data is an essential part of how harm reduction programs tell the story of what they do and how they do it. It helps you measure change and understand how your program has made a difference.

Data can be quantitative or qualitative. Quantitative data refers to data that is numeric and structured. These counts or frequencies of an occurrence can come from close-ended survey questions, intake forms, and program monitoring tools. Qualitative data, on the other hand, is non-numerical and descriptive. This form of data comes from people’s perspectives and attitudes and is usually sourced from interviews, observations, focus groups, and open-ended survey questions.

WHAT ARE CLOSED- AND OPEN-ENDED QUESTIONS?

• Closed-ended questions are questions that have a predefined set of answers for respondents to choose from (e.g., yes, no).
• Open-ended questions do not have predefined answers, but instead encourage respondents to share their thoughts in narrative form.

Table (3.6.) Quantitative Data vs. Qualitative Data

QUANTITATIVE DATA	QUALITATIVE DATA
Answers the Questions: “How many?” “What?” and “Who?” Explores the quantity of something, such as counts and measurements.	Answers the Questions: “Why?” and “How?” Explores the quality of something such as descriptions, opinions, experiences, and assessments or feelings.
Data Format: Numbers	Data Format: Words
Typical Data Collection Techniques: Checklists Multiple-Choice Questions Sign-In Sheets Yes/No Questions	Typical Data Collection Techniques: Focus Groups Community Conversations Essay Questions Interviews Observations

When conducting a program evaluation, collecting both qualitative and quantitative data is best, as it can provide a more comprehensive assessment of your program. Fortunately, data collection is likely already a part of your program monitoring practices or can easily be integrated into your program activities. When it comes to data collection, starting to plan as early as you can in the process is key so you can collect the data you want to analyze.

For more information on the data collection methods, check out this helpful resource:

• Best Data Collection Methods to Optimize your Program Evaluation by CDC